


In Time

by undieshogun



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 21:52:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10671489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undieshogun/pseuds/undieshogun
Summary: Innes and Ephraim learn of the difference between being a king and becoming a king, and a little about what they've become to each other along the way.





	In Time

**Author's Note:**

> this is some pretty generic post-game, canon-compliant character study and an attempt to get a feel for the tone/dialogue of the game, but i just wanted to get it out of my system. also i just love innes/ephraim. enjoy!

It started, as it always did, with Tana--because Tana was a troublemaker, and what troublemakers did was start things. And frankly, Innes had seen enough trouble over the past year to last him a lifetime. 

"So no," Innes said on the afternoon before Tana and her escort were set to depart for Renais. "I won't be joining you during your extended study at Castle Renais."

"But Ephraim will be there," Tana said, as if she didn't know that was precisely the reason why Innes didn't want to go. "And Eirika, too. The four of us will have so much fun together!"

"Eirika and Ephraim are still in the middle of reviving their kingdom," said Innes. "And I have my own duties to attend to, as do you."

"They're the ones who invited us, and Father already said it was all right if we both went. And speaking of duties to our kingdoms, don't you think you could learn a thing or two from Ephraim?"

Innes bristled at that. "That man is hardly a prime example of royalty."

"Well, he and Eirika did stop the Demon King from plunging the entire world into eternal darkness," Tana put in. "I mean, I suppose we were all there next to them, but you do have to admit it was very mature of Ephraim to step up and take the throne to Renais afterwards."

Innes narrowed his eyes. "Your ridiculous infatuation with Ephraim is showing."

Tana turned bright red. "It's not an infatuation! I just like him very much as a friend, is all. And I wish you would too."

"Well, I don't," was all Innes had to say to that.

Tana sighed, her shoulders falling. She directed her gaze towards the ground, lower lip sticking out in a pout.

"Tana," Innes said, rolling his eyes. That move hadn't worked on him since they were children.

"At least come to say hello. It's the polite thing to do, isn't it?" Tana said. "And then you can run along home afterwards, and I won't try to stop you."

Innes paused to consider it. He supposed there was no harm in stopping by to see how things were going. Renais was their ally, after all, and it was diplomatically the smart thing to do for Frelia to offer any aid they could and keep relations friendly.

"Fine," he relented. "But I'll only be there for a few days."

And that was how Prince Innes found himself in the throne room of Castle Renais four days later, being received personally by King Ephraim.

"Where is Eirika?" was the first thing Tana asked after they had exchanged formal greetings.

"She's out in the city, doing some work with the reconstruction efforts," Ephraim replied, rising from his throne and approaching them with an easy gait that exuded casualness and familiarity. It was clear to see that his time as the king had not changed him--at least, not personality-wise. Pity.

"I'll go find her! I'd love to help," Tana said, and then she was off before anyone else could get a word in.

Innes tried to make his own retreat, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Tana didn't tell me you were coming," Ephraim said, turning to Innes. They were only a few feet apart. When had he gotten so close?

Innes resisted the urge to back away. "She insisted on bringing me. I can't imagine why."

"I'll have a room prepared for you right away, of course. I hope the ride here wasn't too hard on you," Ephraim said with a charming smile that Innes immediately wanted to wipe right off his face. "If I recall, you never did fare too well on horseback."

Innes's lip twisted into a half-formed grimace that he barely managed to fix when he reminded himself to be polite. Ephraim was a king now. "I'll only be here for a few days. I know you're busy--I won't get in your way."

"I'm never too busy to entertain an old friend. Let me show you around," Ephraim said, stepping forward.

It wasn't a move of aggression--Ephraim was never that kind of person. Innes found himself stepping back against his will, regardless. "I know my way around Castle Renais, thank you."

"We're currently remodeling and reinforcing many of the castle structures. I wouldn't want you to wander into a dangerous area."

"I can take care of myself."

"Prince Innes." Ephraim's smile turned warm, his gaze beseeching. "Indulge me."

Innes pursed his lips. He'd always hated how so very blue Ephraim's eyes were. 

"Fine." he said, and it took everything he had not to jump out of his skin when Ephraim put a hand on his shoulder and began leading the way out of the throne room.

"Your Majesty," someone from behind them said.

Ephraim stopped and turned to look at the old man standing beside the throne. He was swathed in heavy-looking robes and held a scepter in one hand. An official, of some sort. He must have been there from the start, but he'd been standing so still Innes hadn't noticed him until now.

"It'll just be for an hour, Father Michaelis," Ephraim promised, and then he was leading Innes out the heavy oaken doors.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Ephraim let out a sigh and reached a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. Then, his expression brightened as he turned to Innes. "So, what should I show you first? Eirika's had the gardens in the courtyard remade, but I get a little bored of it after the first few minutes. The briefing rooms are quite nice--I go there when I need some time to think. Or there’s the library; we’ve been rebuilding it with whatever books we could find that survived the invasion. What do you say?"

Innes hesitated. In truth, he wanted to have some time with his thoughts.

(Because that was what being around Ephraim did to him--made him think; about things that didn't matter and things that mattered too much)

But something told him that Ephraim wasn't eager to return to the throne room, so he obeyed the strange compulsion to indulge the King of Renais, as he'd been asked.

"Show me your training fields," he said.

Ephraim didn't seem all that surprised at his request, and he grinned as though he’d predicted Innes's answer.

And true enough, as soon as they reached the fields, Ephraim tossed a training sword towards Innes, who caught it deftly.

"Fancy a friendly spar?" he asked, picking up another one and testing its weight in his hand.

Innes turned the sword, carved from some type of dark wood, in his hand. It was lighter than most of the bows he used. "When was the last time either of us swung a sword?"

Ephraim laughed softly. "It's been a while for me. I think I might have fallen out of practice sometime after I realized Eirika was far more talented with a blade than I was. It was quite a blow to my ego, I'll admit."

"At the very least, your skill with the lance is still unparalleled," Innes admitted.

"As is yours with the bow," Ephraim returned accordingly. "But I'd say a mediocre handling of the sword on both ends puts us at a fairly even match, wouldn't you?" 

"I didn't say anything about being mediocre with a sword myself," Innes muttered, but he raised his sword regardless.

Ephraim copied him, and their eyes met. It was like looking into the ocean--deep, dark, and endless. Innes held his gaze only because he had no intention of giving Ephraim the impression that he was backing down. In the back of his mind, he knew the truth. Nobody who ever picked a fight with the ocean won. 

But then again, Ephraim was just a man, and this was just a sparring match. Innes had fought by his side for long enough to know that he habitually neglected his left when defending. He tightened his grip on the handle of his sword as Ephraim took in a breath.

"On your mark, then."

-:-

They fell back against the dirt ground, letting their practice swords fall out of their hands as they panted to catch their breath. 

“A draw, then?” Ephraim suggested. 

Innes scoffed. “On what grounds? The blow I struck against your shoulder in that last match clearly indicated my victory.” 

“Maybe, but the fact that I knocked you out of bounds in the match before that counts as a victory for me, doesn’t it?” Ephraim grinned. “So it evens out into a draw.” 

Innes didn’t have the energy to argue any further. If Ephraim so wanted it to be a draw, then let him have it. 

Except that the dispute seemed to have already fallen out of Ephraim’s attentions. As he pushed himself into a sitting position, his gaze moved out towards the mountains, whose peaks sat just above the top of the castle's outer walls, where the sun was starting to set, casting deep red hues over the horizon. It grew quiet as their breathing evened out. 

A cool evening breeze swept over them, drying the sweat from their skin, and Innes turned to look at Ephraim. He’d changed in the several months they hadn’t seen each other, since the end of the war. His eyes still held the same bright determination, but they were pinched with lines that hadn’t been there before he took the throne. His king’s armor, a broad chestplate and pauldrons inscribed with the royal coat of arms, looked heavy and seemed to weigh down on him, his back curving slightly. He stared towards the sunset with a strikingly profound, almost pitiful longing.  

"I suppose this was more for you than it was for me," Innes said, though not unkindly.

The forlorn expression lingered for a moment longer-- and then Ephraim smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry for using you. It's just that I haven't had a single day off since that old crone became my advisor."

Ephraim's crude speech threw Innes off momentarily. He'd heard Ephraim curse before (they were soldiers, after all), but he was usually more polite towards people of station. "Old crone...?"

"Er--well, I suppose I shouldn't call him that. Father Michaelis is my advisor, and also my tutor. He'll soon be Eirika's and Tana's, as well," said Ephraim.

"In that case, you probably shouldn't be calling him an old crone."

"It's a force of habit. He was my father's advisor, and I often saw him pressuring my father into making harsh decisions that were in defiance of my father's compassionate disposition." Ephraim's gaze grew distant. "At the time, I thought he was just a terrible person. But my father listened to him, trusted his word, and often those decisions would turn out to benefit the kingdom on the whole."

Innes had nothing to say to that. He had seen his father make such decisions as well, and had not always understood them--but he'd always known that his father had the kingdom's best interests at heart.

"The one time my father made a decision against Father Michaelis's advice, Renais fell because he placed more faith in his old friendship with Emperor Vigarde than he did in Michaelis,” Ephraim said. He didn’t look Innes in the eye as he smiled and said, “You had warned me as well, that Grado would betray us. We didn’t listen to either of you.” 

Guilt sat heavy against Innes’s chest. As a careful thinker, he didn’t often do things he would come to regret later--perhaps that was what made this particular incident all the more impactful. “Grado never betrayed Renais. You know very well who instigated the war.” 

“I do,” Ephraim said. “But back then, no one did. And I realize that maybe the smart thing to do would have been to strike immediately--right into the heart of Grado before they could make their move, and end the war before it started.” 

“You would have saved thousands of lives that way.” 

“Maybe. But I don’t know if General Selena and General Duessel would have forgiven me for it. All of the allies we made in Grado and across the continent--would they have have been so merciful in the aftermath if I’d made no attempt to save Emperor Vigarde first?” Ephraim’s voice grew small. “Would Lyon?” 

Innes frowned. He wondered how many times Ephraim had asked himself these questions. “It would have been the right choice,” was all he could say, and yet could not be sure if it was how he truly felt. 

“If so, then does that mean my father was a fool? Or if I’m wrong--does that mean I’m destined to be a cruel king?” 

_ You’re not a cruel person _ , Innes wanted to say, but somehow he imagined those were not the words Ephraim wanted to hear at the moment. 

The sun sank behind the mountains, burning pinks and oranges against the horizon. When Innes was young, he thought he would one day be able to shoot the sun out of the sky. These days, all he could think about was how his hands had trembled as he took up the sacred bow on the day they’d battled the Demon King, and how they hadn’t stopped trembling until he’d laid it back down in its resting place. 

“My father grows weaker and weaker in his old age,” Innes murmured. “He’s waiting for me to declare that I’m ready to take up his mantle, and every day I come to find that I understand Prince Lyon a little more. I’m not ready to become king.” He glanced towards Ephraim. “Neither of us is.” 

“And yet, here I am.” Ephraim’s smile was dry, strained. It sat awkwardly against his features. “Honestly, I don’t know if I would have survived these past few months if Eirika hadn’t been leading the way. She deserves the crown far more than I do.” 

“You’re the eldest.” 

“By seven minutes.” 

“How very like you to be tempted to run away from your responsibilities rather than face them head-on.” It came out before Innes could stop it--a remnant of an old, petty resentment that had no place between them now, after everything they’d been through together as brothers in arms. He wanted to apologize--

But Ephraim merely shrugged. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.” 

“I didn’t mean that,” Innes said in an attempt to salvage what good will he might have just destroyed between them. 

“It’s all right. Eirika used to say the same thing,” Ephraim said, sounding uncharacteristically despondent. It was disturbing.   

“That doesn’t make it right.” 

Ephraim looked at Innes. After a moment’s hesitation, Innes looked back. But it was dark, and he couldn’t read the expression on Ephraim’s face. It was strange, how much he wanted to know what Ephraim was thinking in that moment. 

“You should stay,” Ephraim said into the silence between them. 

It was a couple of seconds before Innes could reply, the change in subject catching him off-guard. “What?” 

“Just for a few weeks, if you don’t want to stay the whole year. You should study with us. Father Michaelis is a good teacher.” 

“I hardly have the time,” Innes replied immediately. 

“Just consider it. Eirika would be delighted to have you around--and you could be here for Tana, as well,” Ephraim said. 

Innes had to admit he’d hated the idea of letting Tana be away from the castle for an entire year, never mind that he trusted Ephraim and Eirika unconditionally. It was a matter of his own peace of mind. The last time he’d taken his eyes off Tana, she’d run away from home to fight in the war, and it had been a while until he’d come to terms with the fact that she was leaving again, albeit this time with a far less dangerous endeavor in mind. 

So it was tempting to say yes, that he would stay for Tana and that perhaps he didn’t mind learning a thing or two from this Michaelis--but there was also the vaguest feeling that Ephraim wasn’t just being polite, that for whatever reason he was hoping Innes would stay, and Innes wasn’t quite sure how well he liked the idea of giving Ephraim what he wanted just yet. 

So he said, “I can’t be sure,” because in that moment he had convinced himself that his best bet was to simply buy some time and sort his thoughts out, something that was always hard to do when Ephraim was around. “I’ll think about it.” 

It seemed to make Ephraim happy nonetheless, if the way his entire expression lit up was any indication. In hindsight, Innes should have known that things would pan out the way they did. He never could win against Ephraim. 

-:-

Innes woke early the next morning, just before the sun rose. It was still dark in the castle, but when he looked out the window he could see the indigo tinting in the sky that indicated the beginnings of that day’s dawn. He considered going back to sleep, but found after several attempts that he couldn’t bring himself to. It came as no surprise to him; he hadn’t been able to sleep past sunrise since the war. 

Getting up was easy--it was figuring out what to do that had him wandering listlessly through the castle halls fifteen minutes later.

Innes was still hesitant about the idea of staying at Castle Renais. Back at Frelia, he had duties to attend to every day, from the minute he awoke to the mere moments before he went to sleep. It had always been like this, even before the war; that was just a part of being eldest in the royal family and the heir to the throne. But here, while it suited Tana to spend her days running about with Eirika (which she deserved to, he reminded himself), Innes knew that he couldn’t afford himself the same freedoms. 

Even now, after he’d been gone only a few days, he was sure his father had his advisors and other staff spread thin over the tasks Innes had left behind. 

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he made his way towards one of the meeting chambers Ephraim had showed him yesterday. He would be home soon, he decided, but it didn’t hurt to see what Castle Renais had to offer while he was here. 

It was also a good chance for him to get some time alone before the rest of the castle came alive with its daily bustle. He knew, for one, that a certain individual preferred to be in the training fields over anything else first thing in the morning. 

So when he opened the door to one of the meeting chambers and immediately spotted Ephraim seated at the head of the table, he couldn’t do much but stare until the other noticed him. 

Ephraim looked up at the sound of Innes stepping into the room. “Good evening,” he said, sounding a little surprised.  

Innes raised an eyebrow at that, and glanced over to the light seeping through the drawn curtains. “It’s morning, Ephraim.” 

Ephraim blinked. “Oh,” was apparently all he had to say to that. 

It was then that Innes noticed the droop in Ephraim’s shoulders. He’d taken his armor off and put it to the side, letting it sit against the wall next to him, and his hair was unkempt and lay in an awkward pattern where he must have been pushing it out of his eyes for a while now. What looked like several reports were spread out on the table in front of him, lit by a sputtering candle that had already melted until less than fingertip’s worth of wax remained. 

“Were you here all night?” Innes asked, though the answer was already obvious. 

“I, ah…” Ephraim’s eyes seemed to go out of focus for a moment, and he frowned down at his work, but didn’t seem all that perturbed otherwise. “I suppose so.” 

“Do you do this often?” Innes asked. 

“No, not really,” Ephraim said. “Just--this set of reports Father Michaelis gave me last night…” 

“Don’t tell me this is his way of punishing you for running out on him yesterday afternoon,” Innes said, incredulous. 

Ephraim chuckled at that. “When you put it that way, it definitely sounds like a possibility,” he admitted. “He often gives me tasks like these, though. I get absorbed and forget the time.” 

Reason and basic rules of courtesy dictated that Innes ought to leave Ephraim to it. He was clearly busy with something that was none of Innes’s business. Yet it seemed as though Ephraim was struggling with something, and while in any other situation this might have given Innes a sense of superiority over the other, right now all he felt was something akin to sympathy. He wondered if this would be his life once he ascended the throne as well. 

“May I join you?” 

“Of course,” Ephraim said right away. “I could do with a second opinion from a strategic mind like yours, actually.” 

Innes ignored the way heat crept up the back of his neck at Ephraim’s casual compliment as he took the seat at Ephraim’s right hand side. 

“I was hoping you might have some advice to offer on this one.” Ephraim slid a slew of reports over the table in front of Innes, then leaned in as he explained. “There have been incidents of raids in the villages just outside the border of the capital, near the mountains.” 

Innes coughed and, as discreetly as he could, tried to shift in his seat so that they weren’t so close. He frowned down at the reports and tried to bring his focus in. “How difficult could it be to wipe out a group of mountain bandits?” 

Ephraim didn’t seem to notice Innes’s nervousness at the proximity and continued on. “The issue is that there are other reports saying there hasn’t been any bandit activity in that region for months.” He placed a map down in front of Innes. 

Innes studied the map, glancing between reports and mapping out village names. After a few moments, he pointed at a name on the map. “This village hasn’t been subject to any raids...are you saying you suspect they’re the culprits?” 

“It’s a farm village,” Ephraim said. “You’ve probably noticed, but our efforts in revitalizing the nation’s agriculture have been slow in the making. Many of our farmers are starving, and we’re struggling to figure out a way to tide them over until they’re able to sustain themselves and the kingdom.” 

“So some of them have resorted to pillaging from their neighbors.” 

Ephraim sighed. “It makes sense.” 

“And this dilemma has robbed you of an entire night’s sleep?” 

“These are my people, Innes. Even if they’re hurting their neighbors, I can’t just treat them like common mountain bandits,” Ephraim insisted. “Now that the war is over, there’s no reason why they should keep suffering. I need a solution where no one gets hurt.” 

“Hm. How naive of you,” Innes said with a sniff. 

If the comment offended Ephraim, he didn’t show it. “Eirika suggested to me that I negotiate with them--try to use reason so that no one has to resort to raising their weapons.” 

“These people are starving, Ephraim. There isn’t much you could offer them short of a miracle that would make them stop.” 

“There has to be something.” Ephraim looked up at Innes, gaze beseeching. “I know I can figure it out with your help.” 

Inne pursed his lips, hesitating. Even now, he hated to feel like he was giving in to Ephraim, of all people. And yet--

“Fine, I get it. I’ll help you,” he relented, and when Ephraim beamed at him, eyes bright and smile sunshine-warm, he turned away and cursed his own weakness.  

-:-

Sunlight poured through the windows, streaking bright against the dark mahogany of the table and glaring off the white of the parchment Innes held in his hand until he felt his head start to spin. 

With a sigh, he put it down and kneaded his temple. 

“This is getting us nowhere,” he said, glancing over towards Ephraim. “If we keep--” 

He stopped. Ephraim was slumped over the table, fast asleep with his head tucked in his arms. 

“Ephraim,” Innes said, perhaps a little more softly than he’d meant to. 

There was no response from the other. Ephraim slept soundly, the hours of self-neglect and exhaustion having long caught up with him. His expression was slack, free of the usual smug quirk of his lips, the shrewd crinkle in the corner of his eye. He looked peaceful, almost satisfied. As Innes watched him sleep for a moment longer, body rising and falling with every even breath, something in his own chest swelled until his breath came short. 

Innes reached out and shook Ephraim awake. 

Ephraim woke with a start, head jerking up and lashes fluttering as he dragged his eyes open. “What--? Oh, Innes. I-I’m sorry, I must have drifted off…” 

“You need a break,” Innes said, rising from his seat. 

“We still haven’t figured this out yet.” 

“Take care of yourself first,” Innes said. “You’re no use to anyone like this.” 

Ephraim looked reluctant, glancing back down at the reports, but Innes merely scowled at him until he gave in. 

“It feels wrong,” he said as he stood with a sigh. “That I want for nothing while my people struggle.” 

“The royal family is the center of the kingdom. Neglecting yourself can only hurt your people.” 

Ephraim’s eyebrows went up, and he let out a quiet laugh as he turned and began leading Innes down the hall. “That’s exactly what Michaelis said to me when I tried to talk to him about distributing some of the capital’s resources.” 

“No doubt he sees the value in putting those resources into training the new castle guard,” Innes commented. 

“Ah, you noticed.” 

“I saw General Seth with a unit of soldiers out in the training fields yesterday, as Tana and I were arriving,” Innes said. 

“The entire castle guard was wiped out during the invasion,” Ephraim said, voice tinged with remorse. “Reviving the guard and strengthening the castle’s defenses has been one of Father Michaelis’s top priorities ever since my crowning. And it helps that there are so many young men and women--and even veterans--coming to the capital every day to join the ranks. I’m certain we don’t even have enough room for all of them.” 

“The war is already over, and yet your people still want to fight?” 

“Most of them don’t have a choice. They’ve lost their families and their homes--there isn’t much left for them to do besides come to the capital. In truth, many of them have been spending more time taking part in reconstruction efforts than training to fight.” 

“Is that so,” Innes said, and it was then that a thought struck him with such suddenness that he stopped walking, feet rooted in place. 

Ephraim paused. “What is it?” 

“The soldiers,” Innes said, a little incredulous. Why hadn’t either of them thought about this until now? “Send them to the farming villages.” 

“What are you saying? I don’t want to end this with bloodshed.” 

“No, you--” Innes stopped to let out an exasperated sigh and roll his eyes. “You told me you’ve been having trouble getting the farming villages back on their feet because most of them are lacking sufficient labor power. So, if the capital has an excess of both the labor  _ and _ the resources to sustain the labor, then why not send some of it to the farming villages that are desperately lacking both?” 

“That’s…” Ephraim’s expression lit up as he registered Innes’s words, and without warning he reached forward and grasped Innes’s shoulders. “Innes, that’s brilliant!” 

Innes jolted, eyes going wide at the sudden warm contact, and moved on reflex to shrug out of Ephraim’s grip. “Don’t just--” 

“Ah, sorry,” Ephraim said as he dropped his hands, though he didn’t look very sorry at all. 

Innes sniffed and fought against the heat rising in his cheeks. 

“In any case, I’m not sure if Father Michaelis will like the idea of sending soldiers so far away from the capital, but it’s as good a solution as any at this point,” Ephraim said, still wearing a sheepish smile. He took a half-step back as if Innes had pushed him. “I’ll go tell him right now. Meet me in the fields later?” 

“For what--?” Innes asked, but Ephraim was already racing off, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the hall. 

-:-

They sat quietly next to each other on the training fields, facing the mountains. The afternoon sun beat down on the dirt ground, but the shade of the broad oak tree they sat under protected them from the worst of it, and a pleasant spring breeze passed by every once in a while, cool against the back of their necks. 

Innes appreciated and valued the quiet. It fostered focus and relaxation, and kept him centered in the face of difficult times. 

So it made sense that between the two of them, it was always Ephraim who first broke the silence. Because what Ephraim did was break things, and it was always Ephraim crashing through walls and shaking the very foundations of so many things Innes’s life had been build on--quiet dignity, objectivity, aloofness--with his bold words and unrelenting, unabashed passion. 

And the strangest part of it was that Innes wasn’t just getting used to it; he’d come to expect it over the course of the war and in the days that followed. 

So when Ephraim remained silent as they sat there together, staring off into the distance as if neither was even aware of the other, Innes couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. 

“Nothing to say?” he felt the need to prompt Ephraim after a few more moments of trying in vain to ignore the muted awkwardness between them. 

Ephraim blinked, looking distracted. “Hm?” 

“You just made a breakthrough in the restoration effort for Renais, didn’t you? I’m surprised you haven’t gone to brag about it to everyone in the castle yet.” 

Ephraim chuckled. “Who says I haven’t?” 

Innes raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me Father Michaelis rejected your idea.” 

“No, he said it was a good solution. Eirika and Tana are already helping him put together some of the planning,” Ephraim said. “And it was your idea, actually. I would never have figured anything out had you not been here.” 

Innes shrugged. “We’ll consider it a joint effort.” 

For some reason, that made Ephraim laugh. Innes bristled, but when he turned to Ephraim to ask him what was so funny, he saw the other already watching him, eyes bright with warmth. 

“What?” Innes asked when Ephraim didn’t look away. 

“I’m trying to thank you, Innes,” Ephraim said. 

Innes’s eyes widened. “For what?” 

“For everything. I know how much you, Tana and King Hayden have sacrificed for Renais. And--well, being here now…” Ephraim’s expression fell slightly. “I know you don’t like me very much…” 

Innes winced inwardly at that. “I’ve never said that,” he blurted before he could stop himself. 

Ephraim paused. “Oh,” he said, and his gaze turned inquisitive. 

Innes darted his eyes away, thoughts racing as he tried to formulate his next words. “I may not have always seen you as a friend,” he said carefully. “But I never disliked you.”

“And now?” Ephraim asked, a slow smile pulling at his lips, as if something had just dawned on him. “How do you see me?” 

“Do I have to say it?” Innes muttered, continuing to avoid Ephraim’s gaze with a dogged determination. 

“For clarity’s sake, let’s say. You know how I tend to get carried away sometimes,” Ephraim said, a teasing edge in his voice.  

“It’s none of my business where your thoughts carry you,” Innes retorted, but it was clear that Ephraim was intent on wheedling an answer out of him. He sighed and, finally, met Ephraim’s eyes. “For all that it appears as though I may have resented you...in truth, it was merely envy. I fancied you a rival, but I was never truly your equal in anything other than station--and even in that respect, I’ve fallen short now that you’ve become king.”  

Ephraim’s eyebrows went up. “Innes--” 

“ _ But _ , despite that, you never treated me as anything other than an equal...and as a friend. So I suppose the least I could do is return the sentiment.” Innes swallowed, throat dry. It was strange, that as he said those words which he had been waiting so long to say, suddenly they felt uncomfortable on his tongue, like they were incomplete. 

This time, it was a moment before Ephraim replied. He continued to watch Innes, expression unreadable, and it made Innes wonder just what it was he was always looking for. Innes, to his credit, managed to hold his gaze, keeping his own face carefully blank. 

Then, Ephraim cocked his head in a strikingly endearing gesture. “Have I ever told you how incredibly fond of you I am?” 

In the instant following, words escaped Innes--he could only stare at Ephraim and wait for an explanation as his mind raced to keep up. 

And because Ephraim was ever in the habit of frustrating him to no end, he merely smiled and rose to his feet. “I’m getting sore from sitting around. Why don’t we have a quick match before dinner?” 

Numbly, Innes stood, and watched for a second as Ephraim made his way towards the sparring grounds before he finally found his voice. 

“Ephraim,” he said. 

Ephraim turned. 

“I…” Innes’s mind raced with words he still didn’t have the strength to say.  _I realized at some point during the war that I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you._ _ I think about what it might be like to have you at my side every day. I wonder if you’re as glad to have met me as I am to have met you.  _

He settled for what he could manage. 

“I’ve grown fond of you, as well.” 

Ephraim’s entire countenance seemed to glow with joy, his eyes widening and his mouth curving into a delighted smile. He stepped forward, into Innes’s space. Innes didn’t back away. Ephraim was shorter than him by several inches, but there was something about his presence that had always been larger than life. Innes had always imagined it had to do with the way he radiated confidence; or maybe it had to do with the way he smelled of the silver in his armor, tempered and slick, like he’d been born in it, been born a warrior--and yet time and again had shown himself to be nothing more than a man, flawed and headstrong but kind and righteous all the same. 

Innes inhaled sharply through his nose as Ephraim tilted his head up. 

“Fond enough to let me do this?” Ephraim asked softly, and then leaned in. 

Innes closed his eyes as their lips met. 

It was different from what he’d expected, Innes thought as Ephraim placed a hand on his shoulder, slow and light, slid it up to rest against the back of his neck--different from the way Ephraim always did things, for it was a quiet, gentle kiss that carried with it an air of slight hesitance, as if Ephraim wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing for once. 

As they pulled away, Innes mysteriously felt a little lighter, and Ephraim looked up at him again with that same, searching gaze. “You’ll stay the year, won’t you?” he asked. “I’m better when you’re here with me.” 

Innes hesitated. There was still so much he hadn’t said, hadn’t even figured out yet. But Ephraim didn’t seem to care, just waited for Innes’s answer. The hand still on the back of his neck crept up to thread warm fingers through his hair, and he let out a small sigh. 

“All right,” he said, and it seemed to be enough for Ephraim.  

The rest, Innes imagined, would surely come in time. 

 


End file.
